


Rhythms of the Mind

by carmela616



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23478721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmela616/pseuds/carmela616
Summary: It's been twelve years since Toshiko and Owen died, but Ianto, Jack, and Gwen are still fighting on behalf of the human race, even amidst a global pandemic. When a new alien comes through the rift, it's up to Ianto and Jack to stop it before it preys on everyone isolating at home.
Relationships: Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Staring blankly at the computer monitor, Ianto didn't think it was possible for the days to get more monotonous.

With Tosh and Owen gone for twelve years, less team members meant less daily activity in the Hub. Not that he was bored- Jack's very nature was the opposite of boring. Him, Ianto, and Gwen made quite the alien-hunting trio, but they still never felt complete. But now with the worldwide pandemic, Gwen was safely tucked away at home with her husband Rhys, and their daughter, Anwen. Which meant just Ianto and Jack were alone in what, at times, seemed to be nothing more than a stone and steel cage.

Really, he shouldn't be complaining. He loved Jack with his whole body. But sometimes, especially when Jack was out, like now, he could feel his mind slipping away into the darkness. The creeping doubt that had grown rampant like a mold after Lisa's death was once again reaching out its tendrils. Maybe it was cabin fever. Maybe it was simply having more time to be alone with his thoughts. Thoughts? Or fears. The two seemed to be synonymous most of the time. The fear that the same fate that met Toshiko and Owen would meet him, that Jack would move on and forget about him. That that mysterious doctor would appear and whisk Jack away, returning only to find Ianto grey-haired and feeble. Jack would always remain so stunning, so effortlessly charismatic.

And then the door to the Hub would grind open, Jack would reappear in the flash of a coat and the glint of a grin, and his fears would retreat like shadows before a beam of sun. Jack would always be his one, constant, source of light. That light was currently resting his chin on top of Ianto's head.

"Anything new, tea boy?" Jack had picked up this phrase from Owen, as a way of keeping alive his snark, and as a way to subtly get on Ianto's nerves. Ianto reached up, feeling Jack's perfectly messy hair, which, along with the rest of him, had seemed so far away just a few minutes ago. Ianto swiveled around in his chair to see Jack, with a blue surgical mask still partially covering his face after his outing to grab groceries and supplies.

Ianto reached to pull it off, then drew back. "Have you washed your hands yet?" he asked with a frown. Jack nodded, unhooking the mask from around his ears and tossing it in the wastebin under Ianto's desk. Ianto leaned back into Jack's warm arms, the heat of his body emanating through his coat. Ianto shook himself, returning to the present, and caught Jack up to date on the rift activity that he has missed while he was out. This wasn't difficult, considering not a single thing had happened while he was fetching food, except for a small spilled coffee incident that Ianto had cleaned up. The pair continued on with their day, checking monitors (no spikes in the reader) and pouring more coffee (delicious as ever), until a jump in rift activity caught Ianto's attention.

"Jack," Ianto said, frowning. "There's something." He pointed to the monitor. "Something's come through."

Jack leaned in. "Can we tell what it is?"

Clicking away at the keyboard, Ianto made a dissatisfied noise. "No, it doesn't match up with any alien in our database. Must be something new."

"So we have no clue what it is," Jack said, and then pointed at the screen. "But, we do know where it came through to. By Hamadryad Park." Jack said, already tucking his pistol into the waistband of his coat.

Ianto smiled up at him. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i'm super new to ao3, i don't usually write fics other than really really short oneshots, so this will still end up to be a short fic once it's all written (hoping i have the motivation to finish it)


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ianto and Jack attempt to track down the alien that has come through the rift.

Jack squinted into the setting sun. "So, this is about where it came through, according to the rift monitor. l'll go through local CCTV, you check door-to-door and see if the neighbors heard or saw anything. Meet back here in an hour, okay?"

Ianto nodded, setting off at a brisk pace to the nearest house. At a time like this, when they had no clue what they were dealing with, time was truly of the essence. Brick houses lined the streets, and God knows how many problems an alien on the loose could cause by the time they caught up to it. And thanks to the lockdown, there'd

Luckily–or not, depending on whether or not you were the body that was lying in the front hall–it took Ianto less than a quarter hour to find evidence of the alien. He had caught a glimpse of her through the window in the front door while going to ask the usual: Any weird noises? Any strange gasses? Anything at all out of the ordinary? No? Thank you ma'am, have a nice day, and call this number if you do see anything.

But considering the girl's collapsed state, Ianto had broken in, and knelt next to her. She looked to be in her twenties, slender but with strong features, and Ianto made a mental note of this. Always good to figure out any patterns in victims, whether physical, emotional, or whether it's pure coincidence. This was just one of those things Ianto had picked up along the years working at Torchwood, and subconsciously internalized. Most of the time, he didn't even know when his own intuition ended, and his Torchwood-taught instincts began. But one of those taught instincts was to feel for a pulse. That's exactly what Ianto did, flexing his medical glove-covered fingers. Screw the six feet apart rule. He was sure the bloody scientists didn't have alien hunters in mind when they were coming up with those precautionary measures.

Ianto was just beginning to affix his fingers to the inside of the woman's wrist (oddly cold, he noted) when he realized that she wasn't. unconscious, let alone dead. "Are you alright?" he asked, extending a hand to help. When she didn't answer, he tried again: "What's your name?". He was busy scanning her body, searching for any physical injury, and only noticed the tear creeping down the woman's cheek when she made a faint murmur.

Ianto's brow furrowed in worry as he reached into his pocket for his phone to text Jack. The woman opened her mouth again, and tried to speak. "I-I'm so cold.". Ianto reached forward, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. He frowned, feeling not cold, clammy skin, but normal warm life.

Ianto wasn't Owen or Martha–he had no clue how close or far from death this woman was. So he persisted. In addition to the cost of a human life, a live witness could tell a the story of what happened thousand times better than a dead body. So he persisted. "What happened?"

The woman opened her mouth again: "I-I was... book... and then... this. Draining..."  
  
Ianto cursed softly. There would be no getting anything out of her like this. Best bet would be getting her to the Hub, helping her there, and then finding out what the alien was like. He rung Jack, and soon the two were on their way back to the Hub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're from wales, you already know i'm completely bullshitting the setting, but i'm begging you to pretend it's okay, i'm just a dumb american.
> 
> also, i got tired of this chapter and do not care enough to improve it and/or write more so. suck it.


End file.
